JP4492063B2 - Hydrogen supply station and hydrogen filling method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a hydrogen supply station for filling a vehicle-mounted tank mounted on a vehicle such as a fuel cell vehicle or a hydrogen engine vehicle that runs using hydrogen as a fuel, and a hydrogen filling method thereof.

  As vehicles that respond to environmental problems in recent years, automobiles using hydrogen as fuel, specifically, fuel cell automobiles, hydrogen engine automobiles, and the like are being actively developed. In order to promote the spread of vehicles that run on hydrogen as a fuel, it is necessary to develop a hydrogen supply station that has a function of stably and efficiently filling hydrogen in an on-vehicle tank mounted on the vehicle. is there.

  Due to the nature of hydrogen, it is known that when hydrogen is compressed to a high pressure in a hydrogen storage tank in a hydrogen supply station, this hydrogen expands and generates heat. Therefore, for example, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, measures are taken to suppress the temperature rise in the vehicle-mounted tank due to the heat generation of hydrogen. That is, in Patent Document 1, the hydrogen filling speed is increased as the pressure in the hydrogen tank (vehicle tank) increases. In Patent Document 2, the high-pressure hydrogen container (vehicle tank) is cooled by the cooling means. The vicinity of the filling port is cooled.

However, in the above Patent Documents 1 and 2, there is no contrivance for suppressing the heat generation associated with the rapid filling of hydrogen in the hydrogen storage tank of the hydrogen supply station in which hydrogen is compressed to a high pressure. That is, in Patent Document 1, the pressure difference between the hydrogen pressure in the hydrogen storage tank of the hydrogen supply station and the hydrogen pressure in the vehicle-mounted tank is particularly severe at a relatively early stage in which hydrogen is charged. Therefore, no matter how much the hydrogen filling rate is reduced in the initial stage, large heat generation due to abrupt filling of hydrogen into the in-vehicle tank cannot be avoided, and it is not sufficient to prevent the temperature in the in-vehicle tank from rising.
Moreover, in patent document 2, after making hydrogen generate | occur | produce only to the last, it cools with a cooling means. For this reason, not only a direct measure for preventing a temperature rise in the vehicle-mounted tank is taken, but enormous energy is required to perform the cooling.

In addition, when filling the hydrogen, not all vehicles are equipped with a hydrogen tank with the same maximum operating pressure. It is necessary to fill with hydrogen so as not to exceed the pressure or a value obtained by multiplying this by a safety factor. Therefore, there is a possibility that an operator may fail to confirm the maximum operating pressure or mistakenly recognize the maximum operating pressure.
JP 2001-355595 A JP 2002-89793 A

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and can suppress the heating of the inside of the vehicle-mounted tank when filling with hydrogen, can improve the energy efficiency of using hydrogen, and An object of the present invention is to provide a hydrogen supply station capable of performing hydrogen filling while ensuring sufficient safety and a method for filling the hydrogen.

A first invention is a hydrogen supply station for filling hydrogen into an on-vehicle tank mounted on a vehicle,
A tank unit for storing hydrogen in each of a plurality of storage tanks having different hydrogen pressures to be stored in a plurality of stages;
A supply line for supplying hydrogen in the tank unit to the on-vehicle tank;
A switching device for switching the storage tank connected to the supply line;
Supply adjusting means for adjusting the flow rate of hydrogen flowing in the supply line;
Supply flow rate detection means for detecting the flow rate of hydrogen flowing in the supply line;
Pressure detecting means for detecting the pressure in the vehicle tank;
Tank specification detection means for detecting information on the maximum operating pressure and allowable maximum flow rate in the vehicle tank;
A control device capable of operating the switching device and controlling the supply adjusting means,
The control device operates the switching device to connect a storage tank having a pressure higher than a pressure difference detected by the pressure detection means to a supply line, and to operate the supply adjustment means. Then, control is performed so that the detected flow rate detected by the supply flow rate detecting means is larger than a prescribed reference flow rate and smaller than the allowable maximum flow rate,
When the detected flow rate cannot be made larger than the reference flow rate even by operating the supply adjusting means, the storage device connected to the supply line is placed in the on-vehicle tank by operating the switching device again. It is configured to switch to a storage tank that is closest to the residual pressure due to residual hydrogen and exceeds a specified pressure difference beyond the residual pressure , and the pressure detected by the pressure detecting means is The hydrogen supply station is configured to stop the filling of the hydrogen by the supply adjusting means when the filling target pressure calculated from the maximum working pressure is reached (Claim 1).

In the hydrogen supply station according to the present invention, the way of using a plurality of storage tanks in which the pressure stages (pressure levels) of the hydrogen to be stored differ stepwise is devised, and further, the vehicle tank is filled with hydrogen. We have also devised safety measures at the time.
That is, in the hydrogen supply station of the present invention, the pressure in the vehicle tank is detected by the pressure detecting means when the vehicle tank is filled with hydrogen. Then, the control device operates the switching device to provide a storage tank having a pressure stage that is close to the residual pressure due to hydrogen remaining in the vehicle-mounted tank and that has a higher pressure stage than the residual pressure and exceeds a specified pressure difference. Can be connected to the supply line. After that, as the filling of hydrogen proceeds and the pressure in the on-vehicle tank increases, the filling of hydrogen can be continued while sequentially switching the storage tank connected to the supply line to one having a higher pressure stage.

  Therefore, in the present invention, hydrogen can be charged in a state where the pressure difference between the pressure stage (pressure level) of the storage tank to be used and the pressure in the vehicle tank is made as small as possible. Therefore, when hydrogen is sent from the storage tank toward the vehicle tank, it is possible to suppress the sudden release of hydrogen pressure, and the hydrogen expands suddenly near normal temperature and generates heat. Can be suppressed. Further, by filling with the pressure difference being reduced, the rate at which hydrogen is depressurized decreases, and the loss of hydrogen pressure energy that occurs during the delivery can be reduced.

  Further, after the on-vehicle tank starts to be filled with hydrogen, the control device detects that the flow rate detected by the supply flow rate detecting means, that is, the flow rate of hydrogen flowing in the supply line becomes smaller than a prescribed flow rate. Monitor for any. When the flow rate of hydrogen becomes smaller than a prescribed flow rate, the control device operates the switching device to switch the storage tank connected to the supply line to a storage tank having a pressure stage on the first stage. Can do. Therefore, when the speed of filling the hydrogen becomes slow, the storage tank can be immediately switched to maintain an appropriate speed, and the time for filling the hydrogen can be shortened.

  In addition, when an on-vehicle tank is connected to the hydrogen supply station during the hydrogen filling, the hydrogen supply station can detect information on the maximum use pressure of the on-vehicle tank by the tank specification detecting means. Therefore, in the present invention, in order for the control device to recognize the maximum use pressure of the in-vehicle tank, it is not necessary for the operator to input the maximum use pressure to the control device, and it is an artificial matter when detecting the maximum use pressure. There is no risk of mistakes.

Further, even for a plurality of types of on-vehicle tanks having different maximum operating pressures, the maximum operating pressure can be reliably detected by the tank specification detecting means. Therefore, the hydrogen supply station can start filling with hydrogen after reliably recognizing the maximum working pressure in each on-board tank, and can fill with sufficient safety.
When the pressure detected by the pressure detecting means reaches the filling target pressure calculated from the maximum operating pressure, the control device operates the supply adjusting means to stop the hydrogen filling. Therefore, it is possible to reliably stop the filling of the vehicle tank with hydrogen.

  Therefore, according to the hydrogen supply station of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the inside of the on-vehicle tank from being heated when filling with hydrogen, to improve energy efficiency using hydrogen, and sufficient safety. The hydrogen can be charged after ensuring the above.

  The pressure stage in each storage tank can be formed by setting the hydrogen pressure in each storage tank within a predetermined range. The tank unit is configured to increase the pressure (pressure stage) of hydrogen stored in stages from a storage tank having a low hydrogen pressure (pressure stage) to a storage tank having a high hydrogen pressure (pressure stage). It can be configured differently.

The operation of the control device to switch the storage tank connected to the supply line by operating the switching device includes a pressure stage (pressure level) of the storage tank used for filling the hydrogen and the pressure detecting means. It can also be performed when the difference from the pressure detected by is smaller than the prescribed pressure difference.
Moreover, the said filling target pressure can be made into a value smaller than the said maximum operating pressure. And a control apparatus can control the said supply adjustment means so that the pressure in a vehicle-mounted tank may not always exceed the maximum use pressure, and can ensure sufficient safety at the time of filling with hydrogen.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, hydrogen is supplied to a vehicle-mounted tank mounted on a vehicle from a hydrogen supply station having a tank unit for storing hydrogen in a plurality of storage tanks having different hydrogen pressure stages for storage. A filling method,
The information on the maximum working pressure and the allowable maximum flow rate in the on-vehicle tank connected to the hydrogen supply station is detected, the pressure in the on-vehicle tank is detected, and the specified pressure is more than the detected pressure among the plurality of storage tanks. Select a high-pressure storage tank that exceeds the pressure difference, start filling the hydrogen, detect the hydrogen filling speed, the filling speed is greater than a specified speed, and the allowable maximum speed A filling start step for controlling to be smaller than,
When it becomes impossible to make the filling speed higher than the specified speed, the storage tank used for the filling is closest to the residual pressure due to the hydrogen remaining in the on-vehicle tank, and more than the residual pressure. Switching over to a high- pressure storage tank exceeding the specified pressure difference and filling with hydrogen,
And a filling stop step for stopping filling of the hydrogen when the pressure in the on-vehicle tank reaches a filling target pressure calculated from the maximum working pressure. Claim 5).

Also in the hydrogen filling method of the present invention, the method of using a plurality of storage tanks in which the hydrogen pressure stages to be stored differ in stages is devised, and further, safety measures when filling the on-vehicle tank with hydrogen Also devised.
That is, in the present invention, as the filling start step, when the vehicle tank is connected to the hydrogen supply station, the information on the maximum working pressure in the vehicle tank is detected and the pressure in the vehicle tank is detected. The storage tank used for filling hydrogen among the plurality of storage tanks is selected from the storage tanks having a pressure stage higher than the detected pressure and having a pressure difference higher than the detected pressure. Start filling. Therefore, hydrogen filling can be started in a state where the hydrogen filling rate is higher than the prescribed rate.

Next, in the present invention, as the switching filling step, the hydrogen filling speed is detected, and when the filling speed becomes lower than a specified speed, the storage tank used for the filling is selected from the selected storage tank. Also switch to a storage tank with a higher pressure stage. Therefore, when the filling rate falls below a prescribed rate, the storage tank can be immediately switched to maintain an appropriate filling rate, and the time for filling hydrogen can be shortened.
Moreover, by switching the storage tank to be used and filling with hydrogen, as in the case of the above-described invention, it is possible to suppress the inside of the vehicle tank from being heated when filling with hydrogen. Loss of hydrogen pressure energy generated during delivery can be reduced.

  Further, in the filling start step, information on the maximum use pressure in the on-vehicle tank connected to the hydrogen supply station is detected. In the present invention, as the filling stop step, the pressure in the on-vehicle tank is the maximum use pressure. When the filling target pressure calculated from the pressure is reached, the filling of hydrogen is stopped. Therefore, as with the above invention, there is no risk of human error when detecting the maximum operating pressure, and the hydrogen supply station reliably recognizes the maximum operating pressure in the on-board tank and ensures sufficient safety. Hydrogen filling can be performed above.

Therefore, even with the hydrogen filling method of the hydrogen supply station of the present invention, the on-board tank can be prevented from being heated when filling with hydrogen, the energy efficiency using hydrogen can be improved, and sufficient Hydrogen can be charged while ensuring high safety.
The operation of switching the storage tank used for hydrogen filling is based on the difference between the pressure stage (pressure level) of the storage tank currently used for hydrogen filling and the pressure in the on-vehicle tank being less than the specified pressure difference. You can also do it when it gets smaller.

  In the first and second inventions, the on-vehicle tank that can be connected to the hydrogen supply station and can be filled with hydrogen includes a high-pressure tank that is filled with high-pressure hydrogen, and a hydrogen-occlusion alloy that can store and release hydrogen. Various tanks capable of storing hydrogen, such as a MH tank with a built-in gas or a high-pressure MH tank that combines both of them, can be used.

In the first aspect of the invention, the tank specification detecting means is preferably formed in a connection unit provided at the tip of the supply line in order to connect the filling port of the on-vehicle tank. ).
In this case, the maximum working pressure of the on-vehicle tank can be detected using the connection operation of the filling port of the on-vehicle tank to the connection unit of the supply line.

The tank specification detecting means may be formed in an earth adapter for connecting the earth terminal of the in-vehicle tank.
In this case, the maximum operating pressure of the vehicle tank can be detected by using the connection operation of the ground terminal of the vehicle tank to the ground adapter of the hydrogen supply station.

  The tank specification detecting means includes information on the maximum operating pressure of the on-vehicle tank, and tank information including at least one information on an allowable maximum filling speed, an allowable maximum temperature, or a tank manufacturing date of the on-vehicle tank. It is preferable to be configured to detect (Claim 4). In this case, the tank specification detecting means can detect a lot of information of the on-vehicle tank connected to the supply line, and can use this information when filling the hydrogen.

  That is, for example, when the tank specification detecting means detects the allowable maximum filling speed of the on-vehicle tank, the control device of the hydrogen supply station optimizes the filling speed of the on-vehicle tank so as not to exceed the allowable maximum filling speed. Can be controlled. Also, for example, when the tank specification detecting means detects the maximum allowable temperature of the on-vehicle tank, the control device of the hydrogen supply station fills the on-vehicle tank so that the temperature in the on-vehicle tank does not exceed the allowable maximum temperature. Speed can be optimally controlled. For example, when the tank specification detection means detects the tank production date of the on-vehicle tank, the control device of the hydrogen supply station can detect whether or not the on-vehicle tank has exceeded the useful life.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the hydrogen supply station and the hydrogen filling method of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Example 1
As shown in FIG. 1, the hydrogen supply station 1 of this example is for filling hydrogen into an in-vehicle tank 7 mounted on a vehicle. The hydrogen supply station 1 includes a tank unit 2 that stores hydrogen in a plurality of storage tanks 21 in which a plurality of hydrogen pressure stages Pt are stored in a plurality of stages, and hydrogen in the tank unit 2 to the vehicle-mounted tank 7. A supply line 3 for supplying and a switching device 22 for switching the storage tank 21 connected to the supply line 3 are provided. The hydrogen supply station 1 also supplies a supply adjusting means 32 for adjusting the filling rate (flow rate) V of hydrogen flowing in the supply line 3 and a supply flow rate for detecting the filling rate (flow rate) V of hydrogen flowing in the supply line 3. It has a detection means 33, a pressure detection means 31 for detecting the pressure Pv in the in-vehicle tank 7, and a tank specification detection means 34 for detecting information on the maximum operating pressure Pm in the in-vehicle tank 7.

  In addition, the hydrogen supply station 1 of this example includes a control device 6 that controls each operation associated with the filling of the on-vehicle tank 7 with hydrogen. The control device 6 can operate the switching device 22 based on the filling speed V detected by the supply flow rate detection means 33 or the pressure Pv detected by the pressure detection means 31, and The supply adjusting means 32 can be controlled based on the pressure Pv detected by the pressure detecting means 31.

  When the filling speed (flow rate) V detected by the supply flow rate detection means 33 becomes smaller than the specified reference speed (reference flow rate) Vs, the control device 6 operates the switching device 22 to supply the supply line 3. The storage tank 21 connected to the storage tank 21 is switched to the storage tank 21 having the upper pressure stage Pt. Further, when the pressure Pv detected by the pressure detecting means 31 reaches the filling target pressure Pm ′ calculated from the maximum working pressure Pm, the control device 6 stops the hydrogen filling by the supply adjusting means 32. It is configured. This will be described in detail below.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tank unit 2 of this example has seven storage tanks 21, and the hydrogen pressure stage Pt stored in each storage tank 21 is differentiated into seven stages. Further, the pressure stage Pt in the storage tank 21 of each stage is set so that the hydrogen pressure level in each storage tank 21 falls within a predetermined pressure range.
Further, the hydrogen supply station 1 has a collecting means 61 for collecting in the control device 6 the conditions for filling the vehicle tank 7 with hydrogen. In this example, the filling target pressure Pm ′ is an allowable maximum use pressure obtained by multiplying the maximum use pressure Pm of the in-vehicle tank 7 by the safety factor. And the control apparatus 6 is comprised so that filling of hydrogen may be stopped, when the pressure Pv in the vehicle-mounted tank 7 reaches the allowable maximum use pressure.

  The supply adjusting means 32 of this example includes a flow rate adjusting valve 321 that adjusts the filling speed (flow rate) V according to the opening degree of the valve and a first stop valve 322 that makes the filling speed (flow rate) V zero. Moreover, the pressure detection means 31 of this example is a pressure gauge, and the supply flow rate detection means 33 is a flow meter.

  Further, the pressure detecting means 31, the supply adjusting means 32 and the supply flow rate detecting means 33 are all electrically connected to the control device 6. The control device 6 detects the pressure Pv in the in-vehicle tank 7 by the pressure detection means 31, and detects the filling speed V of hydrogen flowing in the supply line 3 by the supply flow rate detection means 33. Based on the values of the pressure Pv and the filling rate V, the flow rate adjusting valve 321 of the supply adjusting means 32 can be controlled to control the filling rate V of hydrogen flowing through the supply line 3.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the hydrogen supply station 1 has a reflux line 4 through which hydrogen can be released from the in-vehicle tank 7 in order to suppress an increase in the temperature Tv in the in-vehicle tank 7. Yes. The reflux line 4 is connected to the supply line 3, and is configured to be connected to a hydrogen discharge port 72 of the in-vehicle tank 7 when the in-vehicle tank 7 is connected to the hydrogen supply station 1. The reflux line 4 is provided with cooling means 41 for cooling the hydrogen flowing through the reflux line 4. The cooling means 41 of this example is a heat exchanger.

  The hydrogen discharged from the hydrogen discharge port 72 of the in-vehicle tank 7 can be passed through the reflux line 4 and cooled by the cooling means 41 and then merged into the supply line 3. Therefore, in this example, the hydrogen released from the on-vehicle tank 7 can be mixed with the hydrogen supplied from the tank unit 2 and filled into the on-vehicle tank 7 again. In this example, the cooling means 41 cools the hydrogen released from the in-vehicle tank 7 so that the temperature is lower than the temperature of the hydrogen flowing in the supply line 3, and fills the in-vehicle tank 7. The temperature of hydrogen is lower than normal temperature.

Further, on the outlet side of the cooling means 41, a pressurizing means 42 for pressurizing the hydrogen cooled by the cooling means 41 is disposed. The pressurizing means 42 in this example is a pump. Therefore, even if the hydrogen pressure after cooling is lower than the hydrogen pressure in the supply line 3, this mixing is performed when the hydrogen after cooling and the hydrogen supplied from the tank unit 2 are mixed. It is possible to prevent the filling rate V of the on-vehicle tank 7 from being reduced.
In addition to the pump, a compressor, an ejector or the like can be used as the pressurizing unit 42.

As shown in FIG. 1, the reflux line 4 includes a temperature detecting means 43 for detecting the temperature Tv of hydrogen released from the on-vehicle tank 7 and a pressure value at which hydrogen release from the on-vehicle tank 7 is started. Discharge pressure adjusting means 44 for adjusting a certain discharge pressure value Pr is provided. The temperature detecting means 43 is a thermometer, and the discharge pressure adjusting means 44 is a pressure regulator.
The temperature detecting means 43 and the discharge pressure adjusting means 44 are electrically connected to the control device 6. The control device 6 is configured to operate the cooling intensity in the cooling means 41 based on the temperature Tv detected by the temperature detecting means 43. Specifically, during the filling of hydrogen, the control device 6 operates the switching device 22 to switch the storage tank 21 used for hydrogen filling to one having a high pressure stage Pt. It is configured to monitor whether the detected temperature Tv is higher than a prescribed reference temperature Ts, and to increase the cooling intensity in the cooling means 41 when it is higher.

In this example, the configuration in which the cooling intensity by the cooling means 41 is sequentially increased in this way is that the hydrogen supply station 1 that switches and uses the storage tank 21 corresponding to the pressure Pv in the in-vehicle tank 7 is used. This is because, according to the configuration, the temperature in the on-vehicle tank 7 is not suddenly increased in the initial stage of filling, but is considered to increase as the filling progresses. For this reason, the cooling strength of the cooling means 41 is configured to increase while the storage tank 21 is sequentially switched to one having a high pressure stage Pt.
It should be noted that the cooling strength by the cooling means 41 can be reduced when the temperature rise in the in-vehicle tank 7 becomes small or almost no.

Further, the tank specification detecting means 34 of this example is formed in a connection unit provided at the front end of the supply line 3 in order to connect the hydrogen filling port 71 of the on-vehicle tank 7. And in this example, the tank specification detection means 34 can detect the information of the maximum use pressure Pm in the vehicle-mounted tank 7 only by connecting the hydrogen filling port 71 of the vehicle-mounted tank 7 to the connection unit of the supply line 3. Is formed.
The tank specification detecting means 34 can also be formed in an earth adapter for connecting the earth terminal of the in-vehicle tank 7.

The tank specification detecting means 34 of this example includes information on the maximum operating pressure Pm of the on-vehicle tank 7, and also includes information on the allowable maximum filling speed, the allowable maximum temperature, and the tank manufacturing date of the on-vehicle tank 7. It is configured to detect tank information.
Then, the control device 6 detects the allowable maximum filling speed of the in-vehicle tank 7 by the tank specification detecting means 34, and controls the supply adjusting means 32 so that the filling speed V to the in-vehicle tank 7 does not exceed the allowable maximum filling speed. It is configured to control. Further, the reference speed Vs when the storage tank 21 used for the hydrogen filling is switched is set to a value smaller than the allowable maximum filling speed.

  Further, the control device 6 is configured to detect the allowable maximum temperature of the in-vehicle tank 7 by the tank specification detecting means 34 and to control the supply adjusting means 32 so that the temperature in the in-vehicle tank 7 does not exceed the allowable maximum temperature. Has been. Further, the control device 6 is configured to detect the tank production date of the in-vehicle tank 7 by the tank specification detecting means 34 and detect whether the in-vehicle tank 7 has exceeded the useful life.

  The control device 6 detects the initial residual pressure in the in-vehicle tank 7 by the pressure detecting means 31 when starting the filling of the hydrogen, and then performs hydrogen filling, Only when the pressure Pv becomes a high pressure exceeding the specified pressure difference ΔP0 with respect to the initial residual pressure, the release of hydrogen is started. That is, when starting the hydrogen filling, the control device 6 sets the discharge pressure value (discharge start pressure value) Pr in the discharge pressure adjusting means 44 to a prescribed pressure difference ΔP0 from the initial residual pressure in the in-vehicle tank 7. It is configured to set a high pressure value exceeding. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the hydrogen in the in-vehicle tank 7 from being unnecessarily released even though it is not heated in the initial stage of filling with hydrogen.

  Further, the control device 6 is configured to increase the discharge pressure value Pr in the discharge pressure adjusting means 44 when the storage tank 21 used for the hydrogen filling is switched by the switching device. Specifically, the control device 6 sets the discharge pressure value Pr in the discharge pressure adjusting means 44 to a prescribed pressure difference from the pressure Pv detected by the pressure detection means 31 when the storage tank 21 is switched. It is configured to set a high pressure value exceeding ΔP0. Thereby, during the filling of the hydrogen, the pressure value at which hydrogen is released can be kept optimal, and it is possible to prevent unnecessary hydrogen from being released.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the hydrogen supply station 1 has a recovery line for recovering the hydrogen remaining in the supply line 3 in the tank unit 2 after filling of the on-vehicle tank 7 is completed. 5 A relief valve 51 is disposed at a connection portion between the supply line 3 and the recovery line 5. Thereby, the hydrogen remaining in the supply line 3 can be recovered in the tank unit 2 and effectively reused again.

  The hydrogen supply station 1 has a recovery switching device 23 that switches the storage tank 21 connected to the recovery line 5. Then, after the hydrogen filling is completed, the control device 6 operates the recovery switching device 23 to recover the storage tank 21 having a pressure stage Pt lower than the pressure Pv detected by the pressure detecting means 31. It is configured to connect to line 5. Thereby, the hydrogen remaining in the supply line 3 can be easily recovered in the storage tank 21 in the tank unit 2.

Next, a method for filling hydrogen in the on-vehicle tank 7 mounted on the vehicle using the hydrogen supply station 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.
In filling the on-vehicle tank 7 of the vehicle with hydrogen from the hydrogen station, first, as a filling start step, a hydrogen filling port 71 of the on-vehicle tank 7 is provided at the tip of the supply line 3 in step S101 in FIG. The hydrogen discharge port 72 of the in-vehicle tank 7 is connected to the connection portion in the reflux line 4. Further, the ground terminal of the in-vehicle tank 7 is connected to the ground adapter in the hydrogen supply station 1. The connection unit of the supply line 3, the connection part of the reflux line 4 and the ground adapter are provided with sensors for detecting that the connections are made, and the connections are made by the sensors. When this is detected, the control device 6 detects that a state in which hydrogen can be charged is formed.

  In S102, when the hydrogen filling port 71 of the in-vehicle tank 7 is connected to the connection unit of the supply line 3, tank information including the maximum working pressure Pm in the in-vehicle tank 7 is detected by the tank specification detecting means 34. The detected tank information is transmitted to the control device 6.

Next, in S103, the valve provided in the hydrogen filling port 71 of the on-vehicle tank 7 is opened, and the first stop valve 322 provided in the supply line 3 is opened. At this time, the pressure Pv in the in-vehicle tank 7 is detected by the pressure detection means 31 provided in the supply line 3, and the value of the detected pressure Pv is transmitted to the control device 6.
In S104, the control device 6 transmits a control signal to the discharge pressure adjusting means 44, and sets the discharge pressure value Pr in the discharge pressure adjusting means 44 to a prescribed pressure difference from the detected pressure Pv. A high pressure value is set exceeding ΔP0. That is, the discharge pressure value Pr is Pr = Pv + ΔP0. And while opening the valve | bulb provided in the hydrogen discharge port 72 of the vehicle-mounted tank 7, the 2nd stop valve 45 provided in the recirculation | reflux line 4 is opened.

Next, in S105, the control device 6 uses the storage tank 21 having a pressure stage Pt higher than the discharge pressure value Pr and exceeding the specified pressure difference ΔP1 among the plurality of storage tanks 21 for hydrogen filling. Select as tank 21. That is, the storage tank 21 used for hydrogen filling is selected so that its pressure stage Pt satisfies the condition of Pt> Pr + ΔP1. Then, the control device 6 transmits a control signal to the switching device 22 and operates it to connect the selected storage tank 21 to the supply line 3.
Next, in S106, the control device 6 transmits a control signal to the supply adjusting means 32, and opens it to start hydrogen filling. Then, the control device 6 adjusts the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment valve 321 in the supply adjusting means 32 so that the hydrogen filling speed V is higher than the reference speed Vs. Further, the control device 6 controls the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment valve 321 so that the filling rate V of hydrogen flowing in the supply line 3 does not exceed the allowable maximum filling rate in the on-vehicle tank 7.

  In S107, the supply flow rate detecting means 33 provided in the supply line 3 detects the filling rate V of hydrogen flowing through the supply line 3, and the detected value of the filling rate V is transmitted to the control device 6. The In S <b> 108, the control device 6 calculates the filling amount Q of hydrogen into the in-vehicle tank 7 by integrating the detected value of the filling speed V.

  Next, in S109, the control device 6 determines (checks) whether or not the pressure Pv in the in-vehicle tank 7 has reached the filling target pressure Pm 'calculated from the maximum operating pressure Pm. When the determination in S109 is No, as a switching filling step, in S111, the controller 6 determines that the filling speed (flow rate) V detected by the supply flow rate detection means 33 is smaller than the reference speed (reference flow rate) Vs. To check (check).

  When the determination in S111 is No, assuming that the hydrogen filling speed V is equal to or higher than the reference speed Vs, the control device 6 continues the hydrogen filling while using the current storage tank 21, and executes S107 again. On the other hand, when the determination in S111 is Yes, it is determined that the hydrogen filling speed V is lower than the reference speed Vs, and in S112, the control device 6 operates the switching device 22 to connect the supply line 3 to the supply line 3. The storage tank 21 to be connected is switched to a storage tank 21 having a pressure stage Pt that is one stage higher than the currently used storage tank 21. At this time, in S113, the control device 6 transmits a control signal to the discharge pressure adjusting means 44, and the discharge pressure value Pr in the discharge pressure adjusting means 44 is detected from the pressure detecting means 31. The pressure is reset to a value higher than the pressure difference ΔP0 beyond the value of the pressure Pv in the on-vehicle tank 7 when the storage tank 21 is switched.

  Next, in S <b> 114, the temperature detection means 43 provided in the reflux line 4 detects the temperature Tv of hydrogen flowing in the reflux line 4, and the detected value of the temperature Tv is transmitted to the control device 6. In S115, the control device 6 determines (checks) whether or not the detected temperature Tv is higher than the reference temperature Ts.

When the determination in S115 is No, the current temperature of the cooling means 41 is maintained, assuming that the detected temperature Tv, that is, the temperature Tv of the hydrogen in the in-vehicle tank 7 at the time of hydrogen filling is equal to or lower than the reference temperature Ts. Then, S107 is executed again. On the other hand, when the determination in S115 is Yes, in S116, the control device 6 determines that the temperature Tv in the in-vehicle tank 7 has increased and becomes higher than the reference temperature Ts, and controls the cooling means 41. A signal is transmitted and operated to increase the cooling intensity in the cooling means 41, and thereafter, the above S107 is executed again.
Thereafter, similarly, the above steps S107 to S116 are repeated, and each time the filling speed V becomes lower than the reference speed Vs, the hydrogen can be filled by switching to the storage tank 21 of the higher pressure stage Pt.

Then, S107 to S116 are repeated, and when the pressure Pv in the in-vehicle tank 7 reaches the filling target pressure Pm ′ calculated from the maximum operating pressure Pm, the determination in S109 is Yes, and the filling stop step is performed. S110 is executed. That is, in S110, the control device 6 operates the flow rate adjustment valve 321 in the supply line 3 to throttle the filling speed V, and the first stop valve 322 in the supply line 3 and the second stop valve in the reflux line 4 45 and close these valves.
As described above, the hydrogen supply station 1 can perform hydrogen filling after reliably detecting the maximum operating pressure Pm of the on-vehicle tank 7. Further, when the hydrogen filling is completed, it is possible to detect how much hydrogen is filled in the in-vehicle tank 7 based on the filling amount Q calculated by the control device 6.

  Then, after completing the hydrogen filling, it can be confirmed that the hydrogen filling port 71 and the hydrogen discharge port 72 in the in-vehicle tank 7 are closed, and the vehicle can be moved to disconnect the in-vehicle tank 7 from the hydrogen supply station 1. . In addition, after the completion of the hydrogen filling, the control device 6 operates the recovery switching device 23 so that the storage tank 21 having a pressure stage Pt lower than the pressure Pv detected by the pressure detection means 31 is added to the storage tank 21. The hydrogen remaining in the supply line 3 after being connected to the recovery line 5 can be recovered from the recovery line 5 to the storage tank 21 of the tank unit 2 by opening the relief valve 51.

  In S109, when the pressure Pv in the in-vehicle tank 7 reaches a specified range with respect to the target filling pressure Pm ′, the flow rate adjusting valve 321 can be throttled to reduce the hydrogen filling speed V. At this time, even when the filling speed V becomes lower than the reference speed Vs in the determination of S111, the storage tank 21 currently in use can be continuously used without switching the storage tank 21. Thus, by reducing the filling speed V when the hydrogen filling is about to end, the pressure impact generated when the flow rate adjusting valve 321 or the first stop valve 322 is closed can be reduced.

  Further, in S108, if the pressure Pv and the temperature Tv in the in-vehicle tank 7 are accurately detected, the hydrogen filling amount Q in the in-vehicle tank 7 is PV = nRT (P: the pressure in the in-vehicle tank 7, V: volume of vehicle tank 7, n: number of moles of hydrogen, R: gas constant, T: temperature in vehicle tank 7).

  In this example, the filling target pressure Pm ′ is set to the allowable maximum working pressure obtained by multiplying the maximum working pressure Pm of the in-vehicle tank 7 by the safety factor, and the in-vehicle tank 7 is filled with hydrogen. In contrast, the in-vehicle tank 7 can be filled with a specified amount of hydrogen. That is, in this case, the filling amount is designated from the collecting means 61 to the control device 6 immediately after S101, and the control device 6 collects the designated filling amount Qs. Then, in S109, it is determined (checked) whether or not the filling amount Q calculated by the control device 6 is equal to or larger than the designated filling amount Qs. Can be terminated.

  In the hydrogen supply station 1 of this example, when the filling of the vehicle tank 7 with hydrogen is started, the pressure Pv in the vehicle tank 7 is detected by the pressure detection means 31. Then, the control device 6 operates the switching device 22 so that the pressure stage Pt is close to the initial residual pressure due to the hydrogen remaining in the in-vehicle tank 7 and is higher than the initial residual pressure by a predetermined pressure difference. Can be connected to the supply line 3. Then, as the filling of hydrogen proceeds and the pressure Pv in the in-vehicle tank 7 increases, the filling of hydrogen can be continued while sequentially switching the storage tank 21 connected to the supply line 3 to one having a higher pressure stage Pt. it can.

  Therefore, in this example, hydrogen can be charged in a state where the pressure difference between the pressure stage (pressure level) Pt of the storage tank 21 to be used and the pressure Pv in the on-vehicle tank 7 is as small as possible. Therefore, when hydrogen is sent from the storage tank 21 toward the in-vehicle tank 7, it is possible to suppress the sudden release of hydrogen pressure, and hydrogen expands rapidly and generates heat near normal temperature. Can be suppressed. Further, by filling with the pressure difference being reduced, the rate at which hydrogen is depressurized decreases, and the loss of hydrogen pressure energy that occurs during the delivery can be reduced.

  Further, after the on-vehicle tank 7 starts to be filled with hydrogen, the control device 6 determines whether the hydrogen filling speed V detected by the supply flow rate detecting means 33 is lower than the reference speed Vs. Monitor. When the filling speed V becomes smaller than the reference speed Vs, the control device 6 operates the switching device 22 to have the storage tank 21 connected to the supply line 3 having a pressure stage Pt one level higher. The storage tank 21 can be switched. Therefore, when the filling speed V becomes slow, the storage tank 21 can be immediately switched to maintain an appropriate filling speed V, and the time required for hydrogen filling can be shortened.

  When the on-vehicle tank 7 is connected to the hydrogen supply station 1 during the hydrogen filling, the hydrogen supply station 1 uses the tank specification detecting means 34 to obtain information on the maximum operating pressure Pm of the on-vehicle tank 7. Can be detected. Therefore, in this example, in order to make the control device 6 recognize the maximum use pressure Pm of the on-vehicle tank 7, it is not necessary for the operator to input the maximum use pressure Pm to the control device 6, and the control device 6 is the maximum use. There is no risk of human error when detecting the pressure Pm.

Further, even for a plurality of types of on-vehicle tanks 7 having different maximum operating pressures Pm, the tank specification detecting means 34 can reliably detect the respective maximum operating pressures Pm. Therefore, the hydrogen supply station 1 can start filling with hydrogen after reliably recognizing the maximum working pressure Pm in each vehicle-mounted tank 7, and can fill with sufficient safety.
When the pressure Pv detected by the pressure detection means 31 reaches the filling target pressure Pm ′ calculated from the maximum operating pressure Pm, the control device 6 operates the supply adjustment means 32 to fill the hydrogen. Stop. For this reason, it is possible to reliably stop the filling of the on-vehicle tank 7 with hydrogen.

Therefore, according to the hydrogen supply station 1 of the present example, it is possible to suppress heating of the in-vehicle tank 7 when filling with hydrogen, improve energy efficiency using hydrogen, and sufficient Hydrogen can be charged while ensuring safety.
Further, in this example, the hydrogen pressure range to be stored in stages is changed from the storage tank 21 having a low pressure stage Pt to the storage tank 21 having a high pressure stage Pt. Even when hydrogen is replenished, the storage tank 21 of the low pressure stage Pt can be replenished from a replenishing device having a low pressure, or the amount of pressure increase of hydrogen can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the energy required for hydrogen replenishment.

Note that the operation of the control device 6 to switch the storage tank 21 connected to the supply line 3 by operating the switching device 22 is the pressure stage of the storage tank 21 connected to the supply line 3 and used for hydrogen filling ( It can also be performed when the difference between the pressure level (Pt) and the pressure Pv detected by the pressure detecting means 31 becomes smaller than a prescribed pressure difference.
In this example, the cooling means 41 is provided in the reflux line 4, but the cooling means 41 may be provided in the supply line 3. In this case, the hydrogen filled in the on-vehicle tank 7 can be cooled to a room temperature or lower, and when the hydrogen is filled, the on-vehicle tank 7 is more effectively prevented from being heated to a high temperature. be able to.

(Example 2)
As shown in FIG. 3, the hydrogen supply station 1 of this example has a return line 40 for returning hydrogen released from the on-vehicle tank 7 to the tank unit 2 instead of having the reflux line 4. . In this example, the cooling means 41 is disposed in the return line 40, and the return line 40 is provided with return flow rate detection means 46 for detecting the filling rate (flow rate) V ′ of hydrogen flowing through the return line 40. It is arranged.
And in this example, when performing the said hydrogen filling, the hydrogen discharge | released to the return line 40 from the said vehicle-mounted tank 7 is returned to the storage tank 21 in the said tank unit 2 after being cooled by the cooling means 41. The hydrogen filling speed V ′ returned to the tank unit 2 is detected by the return flow rate detecting means 46, and the controller 6 integrates the detected filling speed V ′ to return the hydrogen. The quantity Q ′ can be calculated.

Then, the control device 6 adds the hydrogen return amount Q to the tank unit 2 from the hydrogen charge amount Q to the in-vehicle tank 7 obtained by integrating the filling speed V detected by the supply flow rate detection means 33. The value obtained by subtracting 'can be detected as the regular filling amount actually filled in the vehicle-mounted tank 7.
Also in this example, the other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the same effects as those in the first embodiment can be obtained.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a hydrogen supply station in the first embodiment. 2 is a flowchart showing a hydrogen filling method in Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a hydrogen supply station in the second embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hydrogen supply station 2 Tank unit 21 Storage tank 22 Switching apparatus 3 Supply line 31 Pressure detection means 32 Supply adjustment means 33 Supply flow rate detection means 34 Tank specification detection means 4 Reflux line 40 Return line 41 Cooling means 42 Pressure means 43 Temperature detection Means 44 Discharge pressure adjustment means 5 Recovery line 6 Control device 7 On-vehicle tank V Filling speed (flow rate)
Vs Reference speed Q Filling amount Pv Pressure Pt Pressure stage Pm Maximum working pressure Pm 'Target filling pressure

Claims (5)

A hydrogen supply station for filling hydrogen into an on-vehicle tank mounted on a vehicle,
A tank unit for storing hydrogen in each of a plurality of storage tanks having different hydrogen pressures to be stored in a plurality of stages;
A supply line for supplying hydrogen in the tank unit to the on-vehicle tank;
A switching device for switching the storage tank connected to the supply line;
Supply adjusting means for adjusting the flow rate of hydrogen flowing in the supply line;
Supply flow rate detection means for detecting the flow rate of hydrogen flowing in the supply line;
Pressure detecting means for detecting the pressure in the vehicle tank;
Tank specification detection means for detecting information on the maximum operating pressure and allowable maximum flow rate in the vehicle tank;
A control device capable of operating the switching device and controlling the supply adjusting means,
The control device operates the switching device to connect a storage tank having a pressure higher than a pressure difference detected by the pressure detection means to a supply line, and to operate the supply adjustment means. Then, control is performed so that the detected flow rate detected by the supply flow rate detecting means is larger than a prescribed reference flow rate and smaller than the allowable maximum flow rate,
When the detected flow rate cannot be made larger than the reference flow rate even by operating the supply adjusting means, the storage device connected to the supply line is placed in the on-vehicle tank by operating the switching device again. It is configured to switch to a storage tank that is closest to the residual pressure due to residual hydrogen and exceeds a specified pressure difference beyond the residual pressure , and the pressure detected by the pressure detecting means is A hydrogen supply station configured to stop the filling of the hydrogen by the supply adjusting means when a filling target pressure calculated from the maximum operating pressure is reached.   2. The hydrogen supply station according to claim 1, wherein the tank specification detecting means is formed in a connection unit provided at a front end portion of the supply line in order to connect a filling port of the in-vehicle tank.   2. The hydrogen supply station according to claim 1, wherein the tank specification detecting means is formed in an earth adapter for connecting an earth terminal of the vehicle-mounted tank.   The tank specification detection means according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising information on a maximum operating pressure of the vehicle-mounted tank and information on an allowable maximum flow rate of the vehicle-mounted tank, and in addition to this, A hydrogen supply station configured to detect tank information including at least one information of maximum temperature or tank manufacturing date. A method of filling hydrogen into an on-vehicle tank mounted on a vehicle from a hydrogen supply station having a tank unit for storing hydrogen in a plurality of storage tanks having different hydrogen pressure stages to be stored in a plurality of stages. ,
The information on the maximum working pressure and the allowable maximum flow rate in the on-vehicle tank connected to the hydrogen supply station is detected, the pressure in the on-vehicle tank is detected, and the specified pressure is more than the detected pressure among the plurality of storage tanks. Select a high-pressure storage tank that exceeds the pressure difference, start filling the hydrogen, detect the hydrogen filling speed, the filling speed is greater than a specified speed, and the allowable maximum speed A filling start step for controlling to be smaller than,
When it becomes impossible to make the filling speed higher than the specified speed, the storage tank used for the filling is closest to the residual pressure due to the hydrogen remaining in the on-vehicle tank, and more than the residual pressure. Switching over to a high- pressure storage tank exceeding the specified pressure difference and filling with hydrogen,
And a filling stop step of stopping filling of the hydrogen when the pressure in the on-vehicle tank reaches a filling target pressure calculated from the maximum operating pressure.

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